Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-11-20
VINEYARD NOTES.
A Good Demand for First
Class Wine.
PRICES PAID no PRODUCERS.
An Unknown Disease Among the
Mission Grapes in the San
Gabriel District.

of the San Gabriel district emerging
from one Of the stores ahead of him.
Happening to be personally acquaint-
ed with the gentleman in view the
scribe went in hot pursuit, and over
taking him at the corner of First street
demanded an unconditional surrender
of all news pertaining to the district
from which he hailed. Seeing that
escape was in vain, the covered one
consented to be interviewed, and the
following is what the reporter discov-
cred in his note book on proceeding
to VIZ tie the conversation up, later in
the evening:
During the past week several large
sales OF wine have been made, and
the prices obtained have been very
satisfactory to the wine-makers.
Sixty-fve cents gallon was paid for
last years vintage, and 81 gallon for
brandy.
"rhere is a good market for good
stuff and bad market for bad stuff, !"
said the reporters informant, and that
is Just the way affairs stand. Prices
are better here than in San Francisco,
where 42% cents is quoted for one
year-old stock, but it is not as good as
the vintage we have down here, and
we are making arrangements to ship
to the Bay City, where an agency will
be opened and our goods put on the
market
GAS regards the producers, are they
receiving tier share Of the profits ac-
cruing from their grapes?'
Eyes; l think SO. The prices we
are paying now are $12 for Missions,
$l3 for Zinfandels, $3.50 for Bergers,
and the same figure for foreign varie-
ties. Most of the young vineyards,
meaning those up to three years old,
have yielded two tons to the acre, the
old Mission tracts seven tons, and in
one instance recall to mind, the yield
averaged ten tons-of course that is
an exceptional case. No, have no
idea what the yield has been this
year but at Roses they have ham
died about 1900 tons, and at Shorb'5
about the same quantity.
Has any disease appeared in the
vineyards in your vicinity?" asked
the reporter.
Il am sorry to have to admit that
there has. AT present it is con
fined entirely to the mission
grapes and we find it
hard to cope with because
we cannot correctly diagnose what
it is. First, the fruit dries up AMI
has the appearance OF having been
packed by birds; then the stem fol-
lows su t, the leaves fall off, and the
vine begins to wither. 1t is remark
able, too, that it occurs in irregular
patches OF about an acre, and in no
particular vineyard, being scattered
all over the district. Theories about
The latest is Mr.. Shore 8, who thinks
that 1t is caused by an
uneven circulation of sap
due to variation of temperature, as
the W ather has been very unusual
during the past two or three years.
The old vineyards have not been
spared, and in some of the tracts tn at
have been laid out over severty-tive
years its bliyhtinS effects are to be
seen. Yes, vineyardlsts are a little
alarmed about it, because OF the great
point at issue, and many experiments
are be lg made in the hopes Of check
ing it, but 30 far all have proved un-
successful.
svsts, THE SCALE-BuG.
Tie conversation then turned on
oranges, and the reporter asked how
the war OF determination OF the SCALE
bug was progressing.
"Admirably," was the reply. "Bal-
looming, the new process, is all the go,
nowadays, and SO far the results
have surpassed all our expectations.
One month after tree has been han
died 1t is impossible to find any living
insects on or about the foliage
of course they may be lying
and appear later On, when OF course
we will give them another dose. The
cost OF handling each tree is about
seventy five cents, but we will be able
to reduce the expense as we become
better acquainted with the modes OF
handling the new process. Do you
know the circumstances under
which the first white scale bug
made his debut in Southern
California. will tell you. Some
years ago-I forget the date-Mr.
Rose. who was at the time laying out
an orange grove, purchased in San
Francisco mandarin tree imported
from China. He was then expert
menting as to the most profitable de-
scription OF tree to grow. Well, the
tree was shipped down to the ranch,
and three or four months after it
had been planted the white scale-bug
made his appearance. A desperate
attempt was made to crush the evil in
it's infancy, but the present weapons
of warfare were unknown, and the
bug gained the victory. From Roses
he went to adjoining groves, and null
tiplied in myriads, with the sequel
that is before you to-day"
HANDSOME BUILDING.
care there any other items of in
terest you can recall ?" asked the re-
porter, sharpening his pencil and
turning over another page in his
notebook.
"No, think you have pumped me
pretty dry" VAS the response. By
the way, have you heard of the resi-
dence Mr.. De Barth Shorb is putting
up?"
No, said the news-gatherer, any
information about it will be most &C.
eeptable."
Well, l can furnish you with but
very little relating to it, beyond the
fact that it will be one OF the fine-t
buildings in Southern California. 1t
is to be illuminated from top
to bottom with incandescent
lights and you may note that 1t
is the first residence in the country to
introduce this improvement. The
building will be of frame and contain
eighteen or twenty rooms. Its cost
don't know, but can imagine it will
be pretty heavy as the interior is to
be irescoed and decorated by men